GSE D9820 Australia - to D2430 Turkey, 2015 - Diary - Eric Neill, Team Leader
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GSE D9820 Australia - to D2430 Turkey, 2015 - Diary - Eric Neill, Team Leader 14/4/15 - we left Melbourne at 02:40 am, thanks to those that were there to say goodbye. On last leg of flight met a WA VSE Team who were doing an exchange in the Istanbul District. Arrived in Istanbul around 6:00 pm. Our booked driver did not show so we arranged our own bus to the Skalion Hotel, home for next 4 days, this was located in Kumkapi region of Old Istanbul, walking distance to most of city. Walked around Istanbul, had dinner and beers at Restaurant, ready for being real Tourists tomorrow. 15/4/15 Early start, sourced a Turkcell phone, did tour of Blue Mosque, then onto Ayasofia (Hagia Sofia) Museum, then to Topkapi - Sultanahmet - an Ottoman castle, amazing buildings and artefacts, also had new Facebook photo taken here. Walked to a local restaurant, near hotel and had seafood. 16/4/15 - Early start as picked up by RSL Tours to do day tour to Gallipoli, the following was included • Beach Cemetery and the grave of John Simpson Kirkpatrick “the man with the donkey”. • Anzac Cove and the Anzac Commemorative Site at North Beach where the Dawn Service is held on Anzac Day every year. • Ari Burnu Cemetery, where the Dawn Service was held until 1999. • Spectacular views of the Australian Memorial at Lone Pine. • The Nek, where the tragic charge of the Light Horse took place. • The New Zealand Memorial at Chunuk Bair. • Visit the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial. We had lunch at Escabat, and dinner on way home to hotel at a roadside service centre and got in at about 22:30, a big 17 hour day, very emotional and informational (included info from the Turkish side) for all of team. 17/4/15 - Tour the Basillica Cisterns, built by Romans for water supply, then to Spice Market, Mich loved this, then walked to Golden Horn, where bridge connects to Northern part of Istanbul had lunch at floating fast food fish restaurants with the locals. In afternoon walked across bridge and ended up in Taksim Square, once back in old city walked through the Grand Bazar, many did some early shopping, for dinner beers and kebabs and to do some work on our presentation. 18/4/15 - Girls and Ray went walking in morning to Spice Market again, I stayed and rested, we then left for RI Peace Conference on North side of city by underground train. At conference we met many Rotarians, Turkish, Indian, New Zealand Australians, Tony and Carla, Nilay from Turkish GSE Team and John, the VSE team from WA and some exchange students. Dr Peter J Hollingsworth was a speaker along with Sir Anand Satayanand (Past NZ, GG), we met and had photos with Dr Peter and his wife, a wonderful man who spoke so well at the conference. A peace Declaration was signed. They had music before and after, by Angela Akbar. Then got on buses and travelled to Asian side across the Bospherous for a Peace Conference Dinner. 19/4/15 - 1st Day of exchange, but we got high jacked at 07:00 in morning by Nilay and partner John who arranged for us to travel to her apartment for breakfast on the Asian side, a wonderful breakfast on their Balcony overlooking the Sea of Mamara, but cold and in the rain. Went for a walk through local village Kudakoy. The RC of Bolu then arranged for us to be picked up at Nilay's for transfer to Bolu. Met the club members at a restaurant out of Bolu and then went by bus to Lake Golcuk just out of city for lunch with many club members, Bulent Erbora (GSE Chair) and family and Umit Aktug the Turkey GSE Team Leader also met us for lunch, which was a great surprise. Met my Host - Enver Gunay (President RC of Bolu) and went home, his wife and daughter were in Istanbul and Envers English was as good as my Turkish so we had fun conversing. 20/4/15 As my host mother was away, Enver took me to a Hotel for breakfast, he filled my plate. After this we met with other team members and hosts and did tour of city, went to local market where you could buy anything, then to Bolu Museum, many more artefacts and history through the ages. We had a young American YE student from Ohio, Megan Hayden who became our interpreter, a lovely girl. In the city they showed us a club project where the club had relocated an old Fountain into the city. We then did a Vocational visit to a Rotarians Printing business in town and then to a local Hindi Factory (Turkey's) called Bolca Hindi, had tour through part of site and then lunch which included Hindi (Turkey). We later visited the Izzet Baysal University (Izzet Baysal was a local Philantropher who had basically built half of the towns infrastructure, bridges, hospitals and universities.) That night we attended our first Rotary meeting, approximately 60 in attendance, started with a cocktail reception, then we had to have an interpreter, which extended our presentation to approx. 50 minutes (way to long) cut out our video, had a huge 4 course meal and live music and some dancing, got home at 1:00 am. 21/4/15 All met at Rotarian Hakan's restaurant called Massi Ciborek for breakfast ( Girls looked through kitchen and saw some local food being prepared) and then got onto bus at 11:30 to head to Eskisehir, same driver that picked us up from Istanbul, Hussein. It was actually snowing on way through the higher country. Arrived in Eskisehir and met by my and Ray's host Engin (president of RC of Eskisehir - Yunus Emre) in his father's family cafe, some more food an Cay. Then to hosts lovely new apartment and met Engins wife Fisun and son Demir. Then to meeting of Eskisehir RC but prior to this went to a Cannakale War display put on by a private collector, an amazing collection, included 3 X kissing bullett's etc. Just introduced ourselves, no presentation. 22/4/15 All met in town and boarded a large Mercedes bus and were taken to A Metal fabrication plant, Kirak Electrik where they made cable trays etc. had walk through and long discussions with Managers and of course more Cay. After that we went to a big park and met Engin, my host had lunch in a huge complex and ate Giborek deep fried with mince or cheese light pastry things, walked through park, fantasy castles, then he took us to where he works a Traffic Control Centre for the city and saw my first Data Centre, very small though only 3 racks. They control 17 City Intersections and are reducing smog and carbon levels in city. After that we went to a Wax museum, very interesting. Then we met with many at the family café again, went home and got ready for presentation. This club is young only 18 members and 5 years old, average age 32, we went and had a drink at Drunken Duck bar before, the meeting was in a hotel, nice food had Italian ravioli. Presentation took 40 minutes with interpretation, it went over OK and they liked the video which we showed at end. Then they all wanted to go to a bar so off we went and got home at midnight again. Snow is predicted today so will rug up. 23/4/15 Went to a local newspaper called Sakarya, owned by Rotarian - Ustun Unugar, family business founded in 1925, is in top 3 of Turkish local newspapers, sell 5000 daily. Had photo taken and will appear in paper. Went to old sector city walked around beautiful old market area with many Artisans. Then to Fun park for lunch at Kocatepe Restaurant and then walked through park, fantasy castles, rides etc. Presented at RC of Yazilkaya, President Haka Cukul, 28 members, 17 women, great night did not use interpreter, did it in 27 minutes. 24/4/15 Up early had breakfast with Engin and Fisun, got them to try Vegemite, pulled funny faces. We left Eskisehir at 9:00 on fast train, it was great, 255 kmh, excellent train and stations. Umit and Bulent met us at Ankara train station and took us to Bulent's office where we caught up on emails etc. Aslo met District Foundation chair Ufuk. They then took us to a nearby seafood restaurant where we met up and had lunch with 40 of the Rotary Friendship exchange, 8 Australian and Newzealand exchange students and New Generation Service team from Tassie, this is similar to GSE but have no leader. After a seafood lunch taken to airport and flew into Corlu at 5:30, met by 2 buses and all off group about 60 transferred to Hotel at Kesan, we got there at 8:30, and booked in and then went to find something to eat, found a Kebab place and 8 of us had a great meal for 10 TL ($5 Aussie) so a very cheap meal. Got to bed at 10:30. 25/4/15 Anzac Day - Wake up at 1:00 to get on bus, did not sleep to well. Ray left us after dinner last night to try and get down to Anzac Cove, his father could not make it as he had a bike accident in Greece and ended up with a broken ankle, Ray in the end could not make it as he could not get lift / bus or taxi to take him there as area closed off, so he met us in lobby at 1:30 and joined us on bus.